Candidates come to Point Roberts

Candidates come to Point Roberts for meet and greet and an open forum on Thursday, October 4.

By Pat Grubb

Point Roberts voters who are interested in the November general election will need to block off their calendar for the afternoon and evening of Thursday, October 4.

In the afternoon, voters will have the opportunity to meet and greet at least two of three state District 42 Democratic candidates in an informal gathering at the Point Roberts Community Center. Sharon Shewmake, running against Republican incumbent representative Vincent Buys, and Pinky Vargas, running against Republican incumbent Senator Doug Ericksen, will be at the community center between 2 and 4 p.m. Democratic candidate Justin Boneau, running against incumbent state district 42 representative Luanne Van Werven, has other campaign commitments that could preclude his participation in the ‘meet and greet.’ However, he will be attending the Point Roberts open forum in the evening.

The Registered Voters Association’s 2018 Annual Candidate’s Night  begins at 6 p.m. in the community center.There will be refreshments served at the ‘meet and greet’ which is organized under the auspices of the Democratic Party precinct committee officer for Point Roberts, Virginia Lester. According to Lester, “Democrats believe that it is time for a change in the representation of the 42nd Legislative District in Olympia, and we are delighted to have three outstanding candidates challenging the incumbents.”

There will be a full slate of candidates on the dais for the candidate’s night with at least 10 signaling their intention to participate. These are:

42nd Legislative District State (4-year term)

Doug Ericksen (Incumbent, Republican Party)

Pinky Vargas (Democratic Party)

Sharon Shewmake (Democratic Party)

Vincent Buys (Republican Party)

42nd Legislative District State Representative Position 1 (2-year term)

Luanne Van Werven (Republican Party)

Justin Boneau (Democratic Party)

42nd Legislative District State Representative Position 2 (2-year term)

Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney (4-year term)

James Erb (Democratic PartyEric Richey (Democratic Party)

Whatcom County at large Position B (1-year unexpired term)

Carol Frazey

Mike Peetoom

The event is a moderated town hall format with the opportunity for each candidate to speak for three minutes followed by a Q&A session.